Golf House Tennessee
Golf House Tennessee is the name given to an ante-bellum house in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee that serves as home of the non-profit "Tennessee Golf Foundation". It houses the offices all of the state's golf associations.: 25 The historic house is the focal point of a 15 acres (6.1 ha) sprawling complex that administers amateur golf, professional golf, women's golf, junior golf, turfgrass research, and the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, among others.
In the late 1980s, Tennessee's amateur golf organization and its professional golf organization were competitors, and their relations were often antagonistic.: 23 A particular bone of contention was over which group would secure the potential profits in computerized golf handicapping services.: 25 After years of squabbles and frosty relations, an executive, Dick Horton, who had worked for each of these two organizations, with intimate knowledge of both, was able to convince them of advantages of merging operations.: 24 The concept, begun about in 1990, required extraordinary fundraising efforts because neither of the merging entities had much money. Philanthropic aid from Jack Lupton and Vince Gill was vital. The project's success in Nashville drew national attention, and served as a model that was later adopted by several U.S. States. The amateurs consisited of the TGA (Tennessee Golf Association); the professionals consisted of the PGA Tennessee (branch of the Professional Golf Association). The combination became the "Tennessee Golf Foundation", which began operations in the Golf House Tennessee facility in 1995. In 2000, the TGA(men) and WTGA (Women's Tennessee Golf Association) merged, making one governing body at Golf House Tennessee for all amateur golf in the state.
The Golf House Tennessee complex includes:
- the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and exhibits,
- USGA exhibits,
- The Tennessee Junior PGA Golf Academy.
- A full-service dining room
- A nine-hole par three golf course, designed by golf architect Bob Cupp,
- Dormitories for junior golf camp, able to accommodate 48 juniors and 16 adults,
- An Association History Room that houses trophies and memorabilia.
- A turfgrass research facility which includes over 52 varieties of turfgrass including 17 types of bentgrass.
- Offices of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, the Volunteer Chapter Club Managers Association of America, and the Women's TGA (WTGA) among others.